Challenges in Nanoparticle Risk Assessment

This chapter discusses the challenges in the nanopracticle risk assessment. With the advent of the field of nanotechnology, the importance of understanding how the physical form and chemical composition of increasingly sophisticated nanoscale materials combine to determine the human health risks has escalated. Now, the ability to identify, assess, and address potential impacts from intentionally engineered nanomaterials is seen as critical to the success of an increasing range of nanotechnology-based products. Development of an approach to differentiate between materials that present conventionally understandable and addressable risks from those that present novel risks that require new understanding and methods to ensure their safe use is a challenge. Three possible principles that might be of use are principles encapsulating emergent risk, plausibility, and impact. These principles can be applied across the life cycle of materials and products to identify where context-specific risks may arise that need further research to assess and manage them.